Flavored Tried: Sweet Dijon, Spicy Sweet Pepper, Mesquite BBQ, Tapatio, Jalapeno and Sour Cream
Price: $19.92 for 8 small bags ($2.49 per bag)
Nutrition per bag: 180 Calories, 7g Fat, 21g Carbs (5g Fiber), 10g Protein
IWON Protein Stix are essentially a high-protein version of crunchy Cheetos. They’re not insanely high in protein, but definitely enough to qualify them as “protein” sticks.
At 180 calories for each small bag, you’re getting 10 grams of protein, which is not the highest protein snack out there, but certainly high enough to turn this into a pretty healthy snack.
When you buy the larger bags, it is broken up into slightly smaller 120-calorie servings with only 7g of protein, but the serving sizes are generous enough that it’s tough to complain about the lower protein.
IWON Protein Stix come in a variety of flavors: Spicy Sweet Pepper, Mesquite BBQ, Naco Cheese, Sweet Dijon, Korean BBQ, and Tapatio Jalapeno and Sour Cream.
Overall, each flavor has a very pleasing texture. They are like a slightly lighter version of a crunchy Cheeto (a little bit less crunch), and they are packed with a ton of flavor.
There protein stix remind me a ton of Harvest Snaps green bean crisps in both texture and flavor, so if you like those, I can guarantee you’ll love this snack.
It is worth noting, however, that the shapes are fairly inconsistent throughout the flavors. The Spicy Sweet Pepper Protein Stix (pictured above) more closely resembles a cheese puff, while the Mesquite BBQ flavor reminded me much more of a crunchy Cheeto in texture.
At the end of the day, all of these flavors really impressed me. These eat just like a “normal” snack, and I’ve happily purchased these multiple times since my initial review because I thoroughly enjoy them as a snack.
Here’s a super quick rundown of the flavors and what I think about them:
Sweet Dijon: Definitely more sweet than mustard. Don’t expect these to taste like yellow mustard- rather, these taste much more like honey mustard. For me, that’s actually significantly better as I do not enjoy regular mustard very much.
Spicy Sweet Pepper: My favorite flavor of all of them and the one I keep going back to. There is definitely a kick to these, so if you don’t like spicy, these may be too much for you. There’s a very subtle sweetness to these that accompanies the spice, and overall it’s a really delicious snack.
Mesquite BBQ: In my opinion, this is the perfect BBQ flavor as it is right in the middle between sweet BBQ and smoky BBQ. When barbeque is overly smoky I do not enjoy it, but this is exactly what I want a BBQ sauce to taste like- tangy, sweet, and just a touch of smoke.
Tapatio Jalapeno and Sour Cream: The spiciest of all the flavors, so if you want to sweat a little bit, this is the flavor for you! The jalapeno flavor is definitely apparent, and there’s a slight touch of sour cream as well. Think of this as a very spicy sour cream & onion flavor.
All in all, IWON Protein Stix is a very solid snack! If you can find them at your local store, I highly recommend giving them a try, because I really love them.
Sure, these may not help you significantly in the protein department, but it sure beats going to town on a bag of Cheetos.
